Journalist Beth Macy's definitive account of America's opioid
epidemic "masterfully interlaces stories of communities in crisis with
dark histories of corporate greed and regulatory indifference" (New
York Times) -- from the boardroom to the courtroom and into the living
rooms of **Americans.
**In this extraordinary work, Beth Macy takes us into the epicenter of a
national drama that has unfolded over two decades. From the labs and
marketing departments of big pharma to local doctor's offices; wealthy
suburbs to distressed small communities in Central Appalachia; from
distant cities to once-idyllic farm towns; the spread of opioid
addiction follows a tortuous trajectory that illustrates how this crisis
has persisted for so long and become so firmly entrenched.
Beginning with a single dealer who lands in a small Virginia town and
sets about turning high school football stars into heroin overdose
statistics, Macy sets out to answer a grieving mother's question-why her
only son died-and comes away with a gripping, unputdownable story of
greed and need. From the introduction of OxyContin in 1996, Macy
investigates the powerful forces that led America's doctors and patients
to embrace a medical culture where overtreatment with painkillers became
the norm. In some of the same communities featured in her bestselling
book Factory Man, the unemployed use painkillers both to numb the pain
of joblessness and pay their bills, while privileged teens trade pills
in cul-de-sacs, and even high school standouts fall prey to
prostitution, jail, and death.
Through unsparing, compelling, and unforgettably humane portraits of
families and first responders determined to ameliorate this epidemic,
each facet of the crisis comes into focus. In these politically
fragmented times, Beth Macy shows that one thing uniting Americans
across geographic, partisan, and class lines is opioid drug abuse. But
even in the midst of twin crises in drug abuse and healthcare, Macy
finds reason to hope and ample signs of the spirit and tenacity that are
helping the countless ordinary people ensnared by addiction build a
better future for themselves, their families, and their communities.
"An impressive feat of journalism, monumental in scope and urgent in its
implications." -- Jennifer Latson, The Boston Globe
